INVITE and F3-Factory –
A Success Story
8th European Network Event
Armin Schweiger, 2 March 2017
Research Center & Open Innovation Platform
Current Research Scope
Intend
• Dedicated unit with focus on innovative production
concepts for the chemical & pharmaceutical industry
• Joint development of new production technologies
in networks of partners from academia and industry
• Industrial realization of new production concepts in
bilateral customer projects
• Modular, continuous resource efficient
production of chemicals and biologicals
• Smart Robotics in lab and production
New
• Drug Delivery Innovation Center
(DDIC@INVITE), Formulation Technology
INVITE Research Center, located at
Leverkusen
~ 20 FTE: 10 experienced senior experts, 10 PhD / master students
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What will the
factory of the future
look like?
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The Factory of the Future?
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“Plug & Produce”
“PEC-grid” & size discretization
Process Equipment Assembly (PEA)
• Equipment items associated with
one or several process tasks
Process Equipment Container (PEC)
• Superstructure holding PEAs
• Providing services
Utilities, e.g. steam, nitrogen, ...
Backbone Plant (INVITE)
• Provides general services to PEC
via docking station
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Waste streams
PLT signals & electrical
connections
Design guidelines & standardization rules
Strict Modularization Concept
The feasibility of modular continuous
production units has been shown
Real industrial case studies
Acrylic acid and acrylates from glycerol
Surfactants
Specialty polymers
High viscous polymers
Intermediates & fine chemicals
Polymers, multi-product
Alkene, dedicated
Active pharmaceutical ingredients &
intermediates
Intermediates
Polymers, multi-product
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Intermediate, dedicated
The feasibility of modular continuous
production units has been shown
up to
Polymers, multi-product
Polymers, multi-product
Intermediate, dedicated
- 50%
CAPEX
- 40%
OPEX
- 20%
Design effort
- 25%
Processing steps
- 30%
Solvent use
- 100%
Space time yield
102-fold
Energy consumption
- 30%
Logistics
- 30%
Footprint
- 50%
Alkene, dedicated
*: EU FP7 project, Q2/2009 – Q2/2013,
26 partners, 4 years, far over 30 Million €
brain power of over 300 scientists, engineers,
PhD students, business & academic experts
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Time-to-market
Drivers
F3 Factory = x %
conventional = 100 %
Process Intensification
Modularization
Standardization
INVITE’s Achievements and
Partner Networks
Pre-competitive public-funded projects
Public Funding
Projects
ReeL
MoBiDiK
…
Industry and Academic Exchange Platform
Cross-Industry and
scientific Networks
Namur WG 1.12
“Automation of modular plants“
…
European Process
Intensification Centre
DECHEMA ProcessNet temporary
working-group for modular plants
New technologies demonstrated and approved with partners
New technologies
Modular chem. plant
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MoBiDiK
Robotics
INVITE GmbH
CHEMPARK • Building W32 • 51368 Leverkusen • Germany
Phone: +49 214 31 2030 • Fax: +49 214 31 203400
www.invite-research.com
Research Center
Otto-Bayer-Straße 32
51061 Cologne • Germany
51°01’ N 6°99’ E